Conservation of and trade Conf. 17.11 in helmeted

RECALLING that the helmeted hornbill (Rhinoplax vigil) is included in Appendix I of the Convention, and that all commercial international trade in its parts and derivatives has been regulated by the Convention since 1975;

RECOGNIZING that the helmeted hornbill is of cultural and symbolic significance to local communities in Southeast Asia;

AWARE that the helmeted hornbill is highly vulnerable to overexploitation due to its extensive habitat requirements, naturally low population densities, relatively low reproductive rate, and habit of flocking at fruiting trees where it may be easily shot by hunters;

NOTING WITH CONCERN that the wild population of the helmeted hornbill in Indonesia has been increasingly threatened since 2011 by poaching to supply demand for raw and carved casques, the source of ‘hornbill ivory’ or ‘red ivory’;

NOTING ALSO that this increase in poaching has been paralleled by an increase in demand for, and in the black market price of, hornbill ivory as a luxury collectable item in China and among Chinese consumers in Southeast Asia;

NOTING that, in response to recent large-scale poaching, the threat status of the species was formally upgraded in 2015 from Near Threatened to Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List;

AWARE that, as populations become depleted in Indonesia, poachers are likely to shift their attention to other range States;

NOTING IN ADDITION the work under the auspices of the IUCN Species Survival Commission through the Asian Species Action Partnership (ASAP), including the development of an Action Plan for the conservation of the helmeted hornbill;

CONCERNED that without urgent and integrated conservation and law enforcement measures, as well as coordinated efforts on the part of both consumer and range States, the species may be in imminent danger of extinction;

CONSCIOUS that effective enforcement, raising awareness of the issue, education and demand reduction, and cooperation with local communities are critically important complements to effective in situ conservation of the species, including control of large-scale poaching;

COMMENDING the initiatives by Indonesia to facilitate cooperation in conservation of the helmeted hornbill and to address illegal hunting of the species; and

RECOGNIZING, however, that strengthened technical cooperation among all relevant Parties, including range and actual or potential consumer States, as well as financial support, would contribute to more effective conservation of the helmeted hornbill;

THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE CONVENTION

1. URGES all Parties, especially consumer and range States, to:

a) adopt as a matter of urgency comprehensive legislation, enforcement controls and effective penalties, with the aim of prohibiting any hunting for helmeted hornbill, eliminating poaching of helmeted hornbill and illegal trade in its parts and derivatives;

b) prohibit the display, domestic sale and acquisition of helmeted hornbill specimens, including online sales, including parts and derivatives, except for bona fide purposes, including conservation, scientific research, cultural activities, education and forensic investigation;

Resolution Conf. 17.11 – 1 c) designate highest legal protection status for the helmeted hornbill and, in relation to subparagraphs 1 a) to b) above, increase current enforcement efforts and prosecutions and address legislative and enforcement gaps;

d) undertake cross-border cooperation between neighbouring range States for the management of contiguous habitat; strengthen enforcement controls, including anti-poaching measures in helmeted hornbill range States; collate and share information among law enforcement agencies and INTERPOL related to incidents of poaching, trafficking and illegal sale (including online sale), of helmeted and their parts and derivatives;

e) monitor the impact of hunting pressure on hornbill populations;

f) undertake public education campaigns to increase awareness of local people about the conservation of helmeted hornbill and its habitat, as well as to reduce demand for helmeted hornbill specimens, including parts and derivatives, and to promote awareness of applicable laws, particularly within the carving industry; and

g) take any other steps necessary for helmeted hornbills range States to develop and implement the Action Plan for the conservation of the helmeted hornbill; and

2. CALLS UPON all governments, donor and funding organizations, and relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, as a matter of urgency, to support efforts to implement the Action Plan, eliminate poaching and illegal trade in helmeted hornbill, including by:

a) providing funding to relevant Parties and, for the purposes of this Resolution, to the CITES Secretariat and other relevant partners of the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime; and

b) providing assistance with enforcement, training, capacity building and education, population monitoring, and the gathering and exchange of scientific, technical and legal information and expertise.

Resolution Conf. 17.11 – 2